Chrissie Tully's story of search for son to feature in 'New York Times'
Chrissie Tully, Loughrea, with her son Patrick Naughton, who helped her fill in the forms for the redress scheme.
The oldest known survivor of the Tuam mother and baby home has revealed how her son had to travel from the UK to Ireland to help the 94-year-old apply for the State's redress scheme.
Christine 'Chrissie' Tully, from Loughrea in Co Galway, was sent to the home after she became pregnant twice outside of marriage, once at 18 and again at 23.
Her heartbreaking story has resonated internationally and is to feature in the after first being highlighted in the
Chrissie told the this week how she had to wait to get the help of her son Patrick Naughton to be able to apply for the State's redress scheme.
“My son Patrick came home from London and we did the forms together” she said.
“I wasn’t able to do them. You’re supposed to do this on the internet to make it easier, that is not easy for me.
“I live alone, with no family around me, and I only found my son in recent years, he has his life and family in the UK but he is very good to me. "
Patrick was taken from Chrissie just weeks after she gave birth to him in the Tuam home in 1954.
He moved to the UK with his adoptive parents when he was aged 13, and was reunited with Chrissie in 2013.
“He has his application too as he was taken from me by the nuns and adopted without my consent.
Chrissie continues to hold out hope of being reunited with her other son Michael who she was told died after she gave birth to him in the Tuam home on December 13, 1949.
However, she has never seen a grave for him, and believes he may have been adopted without her knowledge.
“I’m afraid Michael is not dead, but with no evidence I just don’t know. When he was delivered the doctors took him away, I never saw him.
“I pray for him every night. The older you get the more you wonder, is he in the Tuam grave, or is he one of the children who was sent to America, how do any of us know?
"Only the doctors and nuns know, and they are all dead. I have never forgotten him."
Ms Tully, who never married and has no other children, recently set up a Go Fund Me Page with the help of Patrick to try and buy her council home for €50,000 so her son Michael will “always have a home” to which he can return.
“What if Michael comes looking for me after I die?
“It’s a council house, but it won't be my home after I die. I’d like to buy it, so he knows I waited for him.”
Chrissie's story is due to feature in the after she was interviewed recently by the publication.
“I didn’t think anyone would be interested in my story but people have been very good since I spoke out, I just want others to know I support them too."
